Weed it and reap.

In the academic equivalent of a major bowl game, teams from Cornell University and eight other schools will compete in the Northeastern Weed Science Society's 18th annual Collegiate Weed Contest on July 31 at the University of Connecticut in Storrs.

"It's almost like the Olympics, except this is for weeds," says Antonio DiTommaso, Cornell assistant professor of weed science in the Department of Crop and Soil Sciences, and the graduate team's faculty adviser. The competition is important for the students, he says, because it gives them an opportunity to interact with other weed science students and test their knowledge and skills. "Certainly, if the students do well at the contest, this may open up more doors for their careers," he says.

The competition is a grueling one-day, eight-hour event with each school allowed to field both undergraduate and graduate competitors. Students must know the identity of at least 80 species of weeds, as well as know the plants' common and Latin names, from Ambrosia artemisiifolia (common ragweed) to Xanthum strumarium (common cocklebur).Students also must be familiar with injuries to crops and weeds alike caused by at least 30 herbicides and be able quickly to calibrate a pesticide sprayer by assessing spraying speed, nozzle selection and pressure and how much product to apply. Contestants also must resolve problems faced by real-life farmers that can spell the difference between getting a crop to market or a disastrous harvest.

"You take what you learn in the classroom and apply it to knowledge in the field," says team member Rob Nurse, a Cornell graduate student from Oshawa, Ont. "It's grueling, but I think we have a chance to win. I think we'll do pretty well."

Students consider the herbicide injury and the problem-solving the toughest parts of the contest. "A weed contest sounds like a silly thing, but it is very hard," says team member Jacob Barney, a Cornell graduate student from Frankfurt, Ky., who is a veteran participant in weed contests. "It is extremely difficult. The sheer quantity of information tested, like differentiating herbicide symptoms from one another, is by far the most difficult part of the entire contest. It's just as hard as a graduate-level final exam at Cornell, and this is very practical information we have to know."

Zachary Easton, a Cornell graduate student from South Deerfield, Mass., who studies turf grass pesticide and nutrient runoff, says participating on the Cornell weed team has its benefits. "Being able to identify a weed and know what controls it is very important," says Easton. "It does remind me of sports in its mental challenge. It takes a lot of work." The Cornell team also includes Heidi Rapp, a graduate student from Placerville, Calif.

Last year, when the competition was held at the University of Guelph in Canada, Virginia Tech won the graduate competition, with North Carolina State University second and Cornell third. Ohio State University won last year's undergraduate contest.

After graduation, competing students will be looking for employment at lawn companies, agricultural consulting firms and even golf courses. "The competition demonstrates to potential employers that there is a strong student base of up-and-coming and well-trained weed scientists," says DiTommaso. "I hope that these stakeholder groups think we are developing top-notch weed scientists here at Cornell and at the other schools competing in the contest."

The other teams participating in this year's contest are from Nova Scotia Agricultural College, the State University of New York at Cobleskill, the University of Delaware, Penn State, the University of Guelph, Michigan State, Virginia Tech and North Carolina State University.